Obama was very wise not to follow our advice tonight

[jmowreader]

The only thing bringing up the 47% comment, tax returns, vouchercare, Bain, etc., at the first debate would have done is cause him to lose: Obama's a bully, why won't he defend his failed presidency, yada yada.

By standing back and letting Romney paint himself into a corner he did several things.

A. Got material for campaign commercials until the next time they meet.
B. Came off looking presidential.
C. Displayed his mastery of an old infantry tactic where you lure your enemy into what looks like a safe, easy route...after you surround it with platoons of machinegunners and cases of claymore mines.

Y'see, the media told him he won this debate and now he gets complacent.

[Norrin Radd]

1. Agree.

[Katstayton]

2. Obama knows what he is doing

I agree!

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

3. Glad to see people are FINALLY getting it! Yes! Thank you!!

[freshwest]

15. I AM. Feeling better. Fact is, I hadn't seen the debate, although it was mainly because I ddin't

Want to listen to Romney lying. I'm tired of not getting real ideas discussed, which Obama wanted to happen. Then I tune in here and read all the gloom and certainly didn't want to see it. Now we get the second and third considerations out here. There was no use giving Romney's lies any credit. So there was no use responding to the clanging gong.

[skeewee08]

4. Agreed

[Lisa D]

5. If Obama had brought up the 47%

that just gives Romney as chance to take the sting out of that video. No way was Obama going to let him weasel his way out of it.

And like you said, now Obama's got oodles of campaign material to show Romney for the blatant liar that he is.

[BainsBane]

6. I figured it must have been a strategy

but he still should have been more forceful in presenting his points.

[CabCurious]

34. He came across as the President, not as a desperate candidate

He didn't speak in hyperbole or half-truths.

[Politicalboi]

7. I was thinking the same thing

Letting Rmoney hang himself as he babbles on with his lies.

[Indpndnt]

8. Willard will definitely be cocky in the next debate.

Obama looked calm and presidential tonight. That's all that was needed. The commercials that come out of this comparing Willard's multiple stances on the same issues from one day to the next will be brutal.

[JI7]

9. i wonder if Romney wasn't able to use many of the "zingers" because Obama or even the mod didn't

bring up certain things.

the "zingers" he gave were moslty lame.

[mrs_p]

26. my exact thought too!

[Dawson Leery]

10. kick

[Ikonoklast]

11. Mitt mounted a frontal assault tonight.

And in his haste, left his flanks open to enfilade fire.

Troops are silently moving into position as we speak, while Mitt stands exposed, looking around, thinking that he has just taken the field of battle.

Except this was a only a skirmish.

The real battle hasn't even started yet, and Mitt doesn't even realize it.


He will soon.

[skeewee08]

14. Yep he's about to get a rude awakening

[Cha]

16. "Mitt stands exposed" licking his chops

over Big Bird's demise.

[fishwax]

12. the repubs kept saying things like "clearly, Obama isn't used to being questioned or challenged"

They had those lines ready, and used them to explain a supposedly lackluster performance. But you know they had those lines at the ready, and were really hoping they could use them to explain a performance that they would describe as irritable or angry. Obama didn't give them the chance.

[uponit7771]

13. Unnnnn, I'll wait and see...Obama could've hit rMoney hard on his overt lyin

[gordianot]

17. He probably still has his old zingers ready but Obama now has new material to develop.

So Mitt really does like Romney care and wants vouchers for Medicare. I am glad to know he will not lower taxes on the very wealthy.

[mstinamotorcity2]

18. Complacent????

Which Mitt Romney is that??

[Scootaloo]

19. Screaming at each other on the internet is a very different beast from a moderated debate

I agree, obama didn't listen to our "advice," and well he shouldn't; he did just fine with hte format he had.

[wiredshut]

30. This debate was moderated??

No kidding! Moderated by who? Oh, was it that guy who was throwing out topics and doing his timer impression by going "umm"? Jim Lehrer was awful.

[Scootaloo]

35. No, ROMNEY was awful

See the thing is, the candidates are supposed to respect the moderator. The boundaries are set, and when the guy pipes up, fine, squeeze the last few words in, but respect that. In a situation like this, the moderator really can't try to shout over either candidate, or tell them to shut up, or whatever. it's rude, and bad form on his part.

The onus falls on the debaters to respect the forum and format. President Obama did. Romney most clearly did not.

[LittleBlue]

20. I would like to know how getting battered is part of a master plan

Usually rope-a-dope requires a counterattack at some point. Getting mauled for 90 minutes isn't an effective campaign strategy.

[speedoo]

24. Obama was not mauled for 90 minutes.

Romney dominated, but he did that with lies. Lies that will end up being very costly.

And Obama was able to get some shots in, but his shots were based on truth.

The counterattack is coming, and it will begin very soon.

[BlueCaliDem]

28. What counter-attack could President Obama have launched

against outright lies?

As Newt Gingrich so succinctly stated, "How do you debate someone who will lie about everything?"

[nyquil_man]

21. The media was never going to call this debate for Obama.

Even if Romney had been left a crying heap on the floor, the instant response was going to be favorable to him.

It's a narrative. The guy who's leading holding on to his lead is not sexy. The underdog getting a few good nips in is, though. Now the narrative shifts again. The expectations for Romney click up a little higher.

Mitt's gotta jump even higher next time.

[Raine]

27. Yup, no way in hell would the talking heads have called it for Obama in the

first debate, no matter what.

[blogslut]

22. In our debate drinking game tonight:

We decided to take a drink every time Romney lied. Then we switched to drinking every time Romney lied outrageously. Then, drink every time Romney acted like a complete asshole. And then...well, we had to stop the drinking game because we wanted to remain conscious.

[politicasista]

23. He was, but

Last edited Thu Oct 4, 2012, 03:24 AM - Edit history (1)

Hope Obama knows that his own debate coach is getting hated on by his own supporters. Kerry can't catch a break with no one, but thankfully, Obama shows ten times more respect and appreciation for the Senator than people ever will.

https://twitter.com/MMFlint/status/253682688177893377

[The Doctor.]

37. I wouldn't trust any Skull and Bones alumni.

Unless we're talking about a different Kerry (like Bob), that is.

[Raine]

25. EXACTLY Obama did a GREAT job letting Rmoney be Rmoney

there was no point in getting down into a slugfest and being called an angry black man and a bully. Obama was Presidential exactly the way he should've been.

[MrScorpio]

29. That's exactly right

The debate was the beginning, not the end.

[Maximumnegro]

31. How anyone could think OH, WI, and NV

are going to suddenly become tossups w/ 4 weeks to go all because of this debate is beyond me. I honestly taken aback at the Dem freak-out. You'd think after these 4 years it would be clear how BO works. Who really thinks he would just tank a debate with two of the most impressive election campaigns in recent memory under his belt, if he didn't have a game plan...

[treestar]

32. If Rmoney lied so much, the media pundits had the option of

discussing that, and giving the details of what is really true. Had they been prepared, they'd already have clips of Rmoney saying the opposite of what he said tonight.

Some people seem more loyal to the pundits than to any candidate. These entertainers get lavish praise and I think they are more important to a lot of people than any candidate. They refuse to disagree with Rachel but will disagree with Democratic candidates.

[JNelson6563]

33. He's an old pro, DUers are not.

[The Doctor.]

36. Green Berets.

'Send out a small force with a retreat plan. See what the enemies have and how they come after the squad.'

It's a martialist's standard tactic: Let them come at you with everything they have. If it doesn't drop you, then you've learned their weakness.

[former-republican]

38. We better stop lying to our selves

to make us feel better.

This was not some master plan. President Obama was unprepared and his coach should be replaced before the next debate.